In Jaden's Shadow
by kellyQ
Summary: Finished! AU After Jaden's death, Syrus is sent to a Duel Mental Hospital. But Jaden's good friend, Johan wants to help Syrus see the truth before he dies. JadenSyrus, AlexisZane. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

In Jaden's Shadow

Chapter One

By KellyQ

A small boy with blue hair and silver eyes looked up to see a tall young woman. She had sandy brown hair, rich brown eyes, and had on a uniform.

The young woman went by the name of Alexis.

"Good morning, Syrus," she greeted him, with a smile.

The young boy looked at what was in her hand, medications. Syrus looked away ...

**_Syrus looked at the clock and narrowed his eyes. Where is he? The blue haired boy looked back at the table full of food, that he made for his aibou. Syrus was so deep in thought he didn't hear some a thumping sound. He blinked a few times and realize that someone was at the door. _**

_**"Is that you, Jaden ...?"**_

"Syrus ... are you alright?" Alexis asked, snapping the blue haired boy out of his painful memory. She sighed when Syrus only gave her an empty look. "I'm going to leave your medications right here ..."

Alexis put the pill and cup on the counter. She took one look at him before walking out, to see Zane standing there. They both looked at each other, and Alexis shook her head.

"He's still refusing to talk. I'm really worried."

Zane sighed and rubbed his head, feeling a head-ache coming on. "I don't think this is working ... he's been here for quite some time ... and I'm starting to think of bringing him home ..."

Alexis' eyes widened. "You know that will cause damage ..."

Zane groaned and rubbed his eyes with his hands. "I don't know what else to do ..."

The blonde haired girl stepped up, and pulled her koi into a reassuring embrace. "We'll find a way to bring Syrus back ..."

* * *

"You failed yet another psychdogy assignment, Johan," the teacher groaned. 

The student flinched. He had bright green eyes, really dark green hair, a white blouse, and the rest of what he was wearing was white.

Johan groaned. "You mean I have to redo the whole thing?"

The teacher sighed. "That's one option, or you can go to the _Duel Mental Hospital_. I have someone in mind. His name is Syrus Trusedale ..."

"Wait. Back up. Did you just say Syrus?"

The teacher frowned. "Yeah ... do you know him?"

Johan shook his head, as his expression darkened. "I knew his aibou - Jaden Yuki ..." he paused before making his final decision. "I have no problem with that. When is the assignment due?"

The teacher blinked. "In four weeks ..."

Johan nodded his head. "Alright. When do I start on this assignment?"

"Tomorrow ... and don't fail this time or you'll have to repeat the class – again."

Johan laughed nervously, and scratched the back of his head. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

The teacher sighed. "You're my top student, Johan, and I hate to fail you from this class ..."

"Right," Johan sighed. He got up and walked out.

* * *

Once he was outside the room, he leaned against the door. _So something did happen,_ Johan thought darkly. _I'll help Syrus any way I can, because I know Jaden wouldn't want anything to happen to him. _At that moment of thought, Johan felt something - something that he couldn't quite place. 

Johan smiled and walked down the hallway. _This should be interesting. Jaden said that Syrus had an attractive personality ... _

_**Johan looked up to see his friend had a glint of passion in his eyes. This caused Johan to smirk. **_

_**"So. Who's the lucky man ...?" Johan taunted. Jaden flinched. How did he know? Johan smirked again, and snickered. "I know you very well, Jaden. So – who is it?" **_

_**"Syrus," Jaden said flat out. **_

_**Johan gasped. "You mean that cute short kid with light blue hair, and gray eyes?" There was a pause, as Johan's expression softened. "Aww. You're luckily ..."**_

_**Jaden beamed. "Jealous?" He teased. **_

_**Johan pouted. "Maybe - just a little ..." **_

_**Jaden chuckled, turned and gave his best friend a peace sign ... **_

_When I saw that look in your eyes, I knew that you loved Syrus and nothing was going to change. _Johan let out a sigh. _Now that Jaden is gone - _he blinked a few times when he realized that he was at his locker.

Once Johan had opened his locker, he looked at a picture of him and Jaden. Johan smiled sadly. _You were always the light for everyone, _he thought. The green eyed boy sighed, and started to pack his stuff for home.

* * *

_You were always the light ... and I'll find a way to be with you. Just give me a little more time, _Syrus thought. He was looking at the only picture of his Aibou that he had left. 

He smiled. "People may think you're dead, but I know you're not ... one of these days we'll be together, and then - we'll be happy ... good-night ... _my aibou ..." _with that said, Syrus put the picture under his pillow, and snuggled into the sheets - not even realizing that Zane was keeping an eye on him ...

_There has to be something our someone who can help him see that Jaden is gone, _Zane thought. _And there is only one way ... _Syrus' older brother turned and walked away. _I just hope I'm not going to regret this. _

By now Zane was on his way to talk to Jaden's parents, and get a list of friends that could help.

To Be Continued ...


	2. Chapter 2

In Jaden's Shadow

Chapter Two

By KellyQ

**_"What's going on ...?" Jaden frowned. He walked to Syrus' bed to see him still sleeping peacefully. The brown haired boy smiled at his koi, and sat down to watch Syrus. _**

_**It wasn't long before Syrus started to shift under the covers, and moaned in discomfort. Jaden leaned in and moved some hair out of his koi's face, just as Syrus slowly opened his eyes. **_

_**"Jay ...?" **_

**_"How are you feeling?" _**

**_"A little better ..."_**

_**Jaden bent down and kissed his koi. "That's good. I was getting worried ..." the brown haired boy murmured...**_

Syrus opened his eyes and the first person he saw was Alexis. She sat across from him. "How are you feeling?"

The blue haired boy just turned his head, not giving her eye contact. Syrus didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment, he just wanted Jaden to come and get him out of this awful place.

"When you do get out of bed ... come join the others ... today is visiting day ... okay?"

All Syrus did was gave a light nod to give that he was listening.

* * *

Syrus continued to lay there in bed, feeling nauseated. He let out a moan, and rolled to his side. After a moment of laying there, he pulled out the picture of Jaden, and placed it next to him. 

_"Where do you think you're going?" _came a voice, from the hallway.

_"I'm here to see a friend of mine. Syrus Trusedale ..." _

Syrus lifted his gaze to the open door, and saw two shadows. He knew that two people were outside his door, and one of them wanted to see him.

_"I'm sorry but Trusedale is not feeling well right now ..." _

Syrus rolled his eyes. _Of course I don't feel good ... and I wish Jaden were here with me right now ... _

* * *

Johan groaned. "Look, I'm a close friend of his ... and when I heard that he was here, I wanted to make sure he was alright." Half of what he said was true, but he also had to start on his paper too. 

"Let him come in ..."

Johan turned to see Syrus step out of his room with a groggy look on his face. They both looked at each other for a moment.

Syrus blinked a few times. "J - Jaden is that you?"

Before Johan knew what was really going on, Syrus jumped into his arms, and held him close. It wasn't long before Johan's shoulder was damp with tears.

"I - I knew you weren't dead ... I knew you would find me ..."

Grief shot through Johan. _He ... he thinks I'm Jaden ... might as well play along ... for now ... _"Sorry it took me a while to find you ..."

Syrus held Johan closer. "That's okay ..."

They stayed like that for a moment until Syrus started to moan.

"How about I lay you back down ..." Johan offered.

The blue haired boy moaned again, this time in disappointment. "Why can't you take me home ..."

Johan laid Syrus down in bed, and pulled the covers up. "You need to get better, then I'll see what I can do about bringing you home."

Syrus smiled. "Okay. But can you stay for a little while," he asked innocently. "I missed you so much ..."

Johan blinked a few times, and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Sure ..."

"Thanks. That means a lot to me ..." Syrus smiled again. He closed his eyes, and for the first time in the six months since he was in the hospital, he felt happy.

* * *

_**Jaden bent down and kissed his koi. "That's good ... I was getting worried ..." the brown haired boy murmured. **_

**_Syrus chuckled and pulled his koi on top of him. They both laid in others arms for a moment until Jaden tried to get up. _**

**_Syrus chuckled again, and gently wrapped his arms around his koi. "Sorry, Jay. But I'm not going to let you go. You're mine now, and for ever ..." _**

**_"You too ..." Jaden murmured ..._**

* * *

Johan smiled down at Syrus._ Now I know why Jaden liked Syrus so much ... _with that last thought, Johan pulled out his note book to the first page, and started to write. He didn't get far with his writing when he felt eyes on him. Johan looked up to see a tall man standing there. He had dark black hair, dark cold eyes, and he was wearing all black. 

They both looked at each other for a moment ...

"Who are you?" the dark haired man finally asked.

"I'm a friend of Syrus. Who are you?"

The dark haired man narrowed his eyes. "Zane. Zane _Trusedale._ Now tell me who are before I ..."

"Big brother ..."

They both looked to see that Syrus was awake and giving Zane a confused looked.

"What's going on?"

Zane gave one last skeptical look at Johan before he walked out. _I better be careful ... he almost blew my cover, _Johan thought.

To Be Continued ...


	3. Chapter 3

In Jaden's Shadow

Chapter Three

By Kellyq

_I just had my first day with Syrus, and I feel bad for him. He even mistaken me for Jaden ... not that I have a problem with that - If I'm going to help him, I need more info ... _

Johan looked up from his note book, and tapped the end of his pen to his chin. He sat there for a few moments, but nothing came to mind.

He growled, "This sucks!"

This was going to be harder than he thought. Getting in to see Syrus was easy, but finding out what happened to Jaden was going to be the hard part.

Johan closed his eyes, trying to remember anything that would help him. After a moment, nothing came to him. _He wasn't even acting weird that day. _He opened his eyes again and frowned.

He was so deep in thought he didn't realize that the door had opened, and a dark tan hand slammed down on his binder. Johan didn't flinch or move. He knew who was right at his side - his foster dad - Cobra.

"Where were you?" The man asked.

The tension between the two was heavy.

"I went to take care of a few things," Johan explained. He wanted to yank the binder from Cobra's hand, and close it so he couldn't see what was really going on.

It was already to late for that. Cobra looked down at the note book, and saw a date. Johan stayed still as Cobra reach for the item.

"Why, I hope I'm not to late," came a voice, with a foreign accent.

The tension dropped somewhat when Cobra turned his head to see another young man standing there. He was dressed like he was from the out-back. His visible eye looked mischeivious, while the other half of his face was bandaged up.

This young man went by the name of Jim.

* * *

"Be careful next time, mate!" Jim scowled. 

Johan scratched the back of his head nervously, and chuckled. "My bad ..."

Jim sighed. "Look mate. You know I can only do so much before _he_ finds out what your up to ..."

"I know that, and I appreciate it when you help me."

Jim grinned. "Anything to help a mate out! So. What did you fail on anyways?"

Johan sighed. "Psychdogy. The teacher said I can take this new assignment ..."

"And what's that, mate?"

"I'm to study a person at the Duel Mental Hospital," Johan explained.

Jim blinked in shock. "Wow. That's crazy stuff, mate. Who's the person?"

"Syrus Trusedale -"

Jim's eye widened, then it showed confusion. "Now why would the little tiger be there?" Jim waited for Johan to answer, but after a moment realization sank in, and Jim's expression changed again - this time in slight horror. "You mean ..." Jim's voice faded when Johan nodded his head darkly. "Oh ... I'm sorry mate. I know Jaden was like a koi to you ..."

Johan put his hand up to gesture for Jim to stop. He didn't want to go there and express how he felt about that.

Jim sighed. "Sorry about that mate. I know you don't want people to bring that up, but what are we going to do?"

Johan shook his head. "The only way we can find out, is through Syrus, and right now he thinks I'm Jaden ..."

"I know where you are going with this mate, but you know that Syrus is like a fragile Crocodile egg. If you damage the egg, the crocodile will die - but you know what I mean by that," Jim tried to reason.

Johan got up and walked over to the barred window, to see that it was raining. Jim watched his foster brother's expression through the glass.

Jim sighed. "Alright, mate. We'll do it your way, but I'm just warning you to be careful."

* * *

Alexis walked into the office to see Zane looking through _the guest book_. "Who are you looking for?" 

"Did Sy say anything about having someone come and see him?" Zane asked.

The blonde girl looked thoughtful. "No. I've been trying to get Chazz to stop being a pervert."

A slight smirk showed on Zane's face. "I see ..." his voice trailed off, as he went back to looking through the book.

Alexis watched him for a moment. She walked up, and looked over the names with him. After a moment, Alexis saw a name that looked familiar to her. Zane averted his gaze to see what she was looking at. The name _**Johan**_ was written on there, but no last name. Zane narrowed his eyes. Now where did he hear that name before?

"Would you like me to talk to Syrus?" Alexis asked, snapping Zane out of his thought.

The dark haired boy shook his head. "Sy will deny what he saw, and I want you to watch out for this Johan person. I got a feeling he's going to do more harm than good."

Alexis nodded her head, knowing better than to voice her own opinion about his choice.

* * *

Syrus looked out the window, to see that the night sky was clear, and stars were bright. He couldn't help feeling that things were going to get better. Now that they had found each other, the next step was to get out of here. Syrus knew that wasn't going to be easy, considering that his brother put him in the awful place. _You do hate me that much,_ Syrus thought bitterly. He didn't understand why Zane was so mean to him. Did he do something wrong? Syrus sighed and went back into bed, and curled up into the warm covers. 

To Be Continued ...


	4. Chapter 4

In Jaden's Shadow

Chapter Four

By KellyQ

Johan sat not far from Syrus, who was at the moment taking small bits of his soup. It has been three days, and Syrus was starting to get really nervous. Why was his koi coming over and just writing, and not saying anything?

"Uh - Jaden," he finally asked, "why do you come and do your homework here? Can't you do that at home and spend time with me."

Johan looked up. "I'm sorry. I guess I haven't been good company. I just been busy with this project about human behavior."

Syrus raised a brow. "Jaden. You hate homework," he pointed out.

Johan laughed nervously. "Well, I've been gone for quite a while... I might as well catch up."

The blue haired boy nodded his head. "If you want, I can help you with that. You can use me as a specimen considering that people think I'm crazy."

Johan looked sympathetically at Jaden's koi. "Who ever put you in here doesn't think you'll get better, but we'll find a way out."

Syrus' face lit up, and with what little strength he had, he jumped into Johan's arms; the soup knocked onto the floor. "I don't care," came Syrus' muffled voice from Johan's chest. "As long as I'm with you."

Johan sighed and looked at the mess on the floor. "I'll get you another bowl."

"I'm not that hungry, Jay," Syrus admitted. He pulled out of Johan's arms and lay back down.

"Sy, you haven't eaten anything in the past three days, and the last thing I want is to see you in the hospital." Johan blinked a few times after he said that, it was like someone was speaking through him.

Syrus chewed on his lower lip, and lowered his head. "I know we've been together for quite awhile, but you know my health wont get any better ..."

Johan looked sadly at Jaden's koi, and reached out to stroke Syrus' cheek. "Would you eat if I fed you?"

Syrus shook his head. "I'm not really that hungry, but I am thirsty."

Johan nodded his head. He pulled the covers up, and walked out. He didn't get far though, standing not too far away was Zane. The temperature in the hallway dropped, and the vibes changed as well.

"My little brother doesn't need you to fill his head with crap, Jaden - or shall I say _Johan." _

At first, the green eyed teen was shocked, but he quickly recovered and Johan smirked. "What of it?" he challenged. "Oh. I see," Johan taunted. "You must be Zane - Syrus' big brother ..."

The older Trusedale didn't respond to what was thrown at him. He was used to being seen as _the big bad brother _in everyone eyes. Zane looked skeptical. "You just stay away from my little brother. You'll just make it worse."

Johan's eyes hardened and he glared at Zane. "I would never do that to Syrus! I'm here to help him, not make it worse - and give me a chance. I might be able to bring him back. That's what you want isn't it?"

Zane looked at Johan, and for the first time he understood why Syrus mistook Johan to be his dead koi - there was a little of Jaden in him. "What do you think you can accomplish that no one else has?"

"Support."

Zane closed his eyes. "I see. But you do realize that he's just hanging on because he thinks that Jaden is alive."

"You can believe whatever you want. But I'm not going to give up ...!" Johan growled. He couldn't stop glaring at Syrus' brother.

"You can try, but it won't get you anywhere. Jaden tried and look where it lead him." With no other harsh comment, Zane walked away. He didn't get far when Johan spoke in a bitter voice.

"I don't see how Jaden respected you. You're low ..."

Zane stopped. For an instant, Johan thought he got the older teen's attention. There was a moment of silence before Zane responded. "You're no different than I am."

Johan glared back, he wasn't going to let Zane get the upper hand in the situation.

* * *

"I always cause trouble," Syrus sighed. 

He didn't like the fact that his brother and his koi were fighting. Syrus couldn't hear what they were saying, but the vibes were enough to tell him that it wasn't good.

"That's not true and you know it," Johan said. He walked in and handed the cup of water to Syrus.

The young teen looked down at his reflection. There wasn't much to see - big gray eyes, blue hair, and small round glasses. Johan watched Syrus for a moment. _Jaden tried and look where it lead him, _he remembered.

Syrus finally looked up. "Jay, what did my brother say?" He asked, snapping Johan out of this reverie.

They both looked at each other for a moment. Johan smiled, and pulled the covers up. "Your brother was just being rude. Now get some rest, I'll come back tomorrow."

Syrus nodded his head, took hold of Johan and pulled him down to kiss him. Johan stiffened for a moment - his mind going blank. After a moment, Johan finally was able to pull away. They both looked at each other again before Johan walked out.

"Jay ...?" Syrus murmured in confusion.

Something didn't feel right when their lips met. It pained Syrus, because it was like there was nothing there.

To Be Continued ...


	5. Chapter 5

In Jaden's Shadow

Chapter Five

By Kellyq

Alexis walked into the room to see Syrus lying on his side. He was mumbling something under his breath. "Syrus ...?" She called out. "Are you alright?" she watched him for a moment. His eyes held a mixture of confusion and sadness, which Alexis had never seen before in the young Trusedale.

"What happened to you, Jay ..?" Syrus murmured. He really wanted to talk to his koi, and get some answers.

"Syrus," Alexis tried again. This time she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "What's the matter?" The altruistic young teen finally rolled so he was lying on his back.

"It's Jaden," he said in a husky voice. "When we kissed, there was nothing there. Do you think he's mad at me?"

Alexis bit the bottom of her lip. She really wanted to break it to Syrus that Johan was not Jaden. "I don't think he's mad. He's probable confused and needs time to sort things out," She tried to reason.

Syrus looked down. "What do you think happened to Jay, to make him not like me anymore?"

"I wouldn't worry about it right now," Alexis advised. She pulled covers up and walked out. Before she reached the door, Syrus called out:

"Alexis, do you think Jaden will come back? I really want to talk to him."

The young woman looked straight ahead. "I don't know, Syrus. I just don't know."

With that, she left, and Syrus was alone again.

* * *

It wasn't long before Zane walked into the office to see his koi sitting in a chair hunched over, with the side of her forehead resting in her hands. _I shouldn't be using her like this_, he thought. Zane stepped up and took Alexis' hands. She looked up and their eyes met for a brief moment. "Alexis, why don't you go home. I'll manage things from now on. You look stressed out."

It was true. Alexis was burnt out from doing most of the work. Not once did she complained. It was her way to show that she would do anything for her boyfriend. Alexis touched Zane's face and stroked his cheek bone lovingly. "Are you sure? You look stressed out too. Why don't we go and have some times to our selves tonight."

Amusement flashed across Zane's eyes. That was the one thing he loved about Alexis - she knew how to amuse him. "I'll pick you up around six."

Alexis smiled and kissed her koi before walking out.

* * *

Syrus looked to see Zane standing there. "Aniki ...?" He didn't like the look in his brothers eyes. "Is there something wrong?"

"We need to talk about the visitor who's been coming to see you."

Zane's little brother frowned. "Are you talking about Jay ...?"

"Sy. He's not who you think and I think you should stop talking to him." Zane advised.

Syrus flinched. Not be with Jaden? That didn't sound like his Aniki. "B-but Zane. You said that having Jaden in my life was -"

"That was before he died, Syrus," Zane cut him off roughly. "And you need to start excepting the fact that he's dead!" With that, the older Trusedale walked out before he would regret his actions. He never meant to hurt his little brother in any way.

Zane only got so far before he heard Syrus crying.

* * *

"Why ... why is everything turning upside down?" Syrus asked himself. He looked out the window. He wasn't surprised when he noticed that it was raining.

_Jaden draped a towel over Syrus' wet hair. "It's a good thing I found you, Sy," he started. "But what were you doing in the rain? I hope you didn't go out there hoping to die of pneumonia." _

_Syrus didn't say anything nor did he make eye contact with his koi. _

_Jaden sighed and stopped rubbing Syrus' hair. "You're making this hard for everyone, Sy - and the last thing I want is to see you dead." _

_The last comment caught Syrus' attention. He finally looked back at Jaden. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry that you have to stick with someone like me." _

_Jaden only smiled and kissed his koi. "Sy, you know that I love you -" _

_"Yea but ..." _

_Jaden kissed Syrus, to stop his koi from being so negative._

Syrus got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. He looked at the towel for a moment before he draped it over his head. He walked to the mirror and looked at his own reflection. He had to know what caused things to go upside down. "Why am I here? Was I put on this earth just to cause people pain?"

With a heavy sigh, Syrus walked out of the bathroom, straight to his bed. The towel slid off his head when he approached. Syrus looked at the door for a moment.

"Where are you Jay ...?" He choked out. There was no answer.

A tear came down Syrus' face. "He must really hate me. That's why ... that's why he left!" He whispered to himself, before feelings of hurt and betrayal took over, and his words dissolved into weeping.

To Be Continued ...

I want to thank ReaperRain for helping look at this chapter. It helped a lot.  
KellyQ


	6. Chapter 6

In Jaden's Shadow

Chapter Six

By KellyQ

After Syrus had kissed Johan _by accident, _the European teen ran out of the hospital feeling quite shocked. _Syrus really loved Jaden, _Johan thought. _More than __**I**__ could love him ... _The young man was so deep in thought he didn't realize that his foster father, Cobra, was standing at the doorway to his room with the psychology paper in his hand.

"Is there anything you want to share with me?" Cobra finally asked. After a moment of waiting for Johan to tell why he failed another assignment, Cobra struck Johan ruthlessly across the face.

Johan winced as he found himself on the floor, holding his ear. He wasn't surprised that Cobra had inflicted pain. It was always that way - to show that he was superior. Cobra slammed his foot on his foster son's left hand, took Johan's right hand so that he was lying on his back. Cobra leaned in with a dangerous look in his eyes. It was then Johan felt a strong presence in the room as an image flashed through his mind.

"You - it was you who took Jaden ..." Johan breathed. The image he saw wasn't too clear but Johan felt Jaden's soul in the room, and everything his close friend had gone through.

Cobra narrowed his eyes, and pulled out a metal bracelet with a golden gem. "This Dis-Belt will track you." Johan narrowed is eyes when the Dis-Belt came in contact with his skin. The gem started to glow as the Dis-Belt fastened it's self around the teen's wrist. "You're going to do that assignment over and turn it in."

Johan groaned at first, but smirked. "I'll get it done in my own way."

Cobra nodded his head and backed away. " ...And as for Jaden - what happened to him is none of your affair."

* * *

Johan sat on his bed rubbing his sore, numb wrist. _I should've known_, he thought bitterly. _Cobra tried to keep us from being close ... now that I think about it, Cobra's daughter died the same day Jaden did ... _

_**"It's about time you figured it out," **_came a familiar voice.

Johan looked up to see Jaden's spirit. They both looked at each other, before Johan got to his feet and walked toward Jaden. It wasn't long before Johan's expression changed to pure anger. "What's the big idea leavin' ..." he paused when Jaden reached out to touch Johan's cheek and felt a tingle. The temperature in the room dropped, causing Johan to shiver. "What – what did Cobra do to you?"

_**"I ... I don't really remember. But that's not important right now. Syrus doesn't have much time and I want him to be comfortable ..."**_ Jaden paused when Johan started to fidget.

"I know you loved each other but – but I love you too!" Johan confessed.

Jaden couldn't help but chuckle and stroked Johan's cheek lovingly. _**"You're not the only person to say that to me." **_

Johan blinked a few times, feeling a knot in his stomach. He quickly shook the feeling off and smirked. "I'm not, huh? Who was the first?"

Jaden's expression darkened. _**"Cobra's daughter, Yubel."**_

Every part of Johan stiffened. _That spoiled little ..._ was the only thing he could think. Anger flashed across Johan's eyes. "If only Amon was here! Things wouldn't be this way."

Jaden looked sympathetically at the teen in front of him. He had never seen someone look so hurt, and Jaden really wanted to take Johan's pain away. So he leaned in and kissed Johan's right cheek where had been slapped. _**"Please don't cry for me,"**_ Jaden murmured, trying to hold the tears back himself.

Johan wiped the tears from his eyes and tried to smile. "I know that I can't have you, but can we still be friends?"

_**"You know that I would never break the bond we have. It's important to me. So can you help me make Syrus **__**comfortable**__**?" **_

"I'm not you, but I'll help him, since he misses you so much."

* * *

Syrus looked out the window. After Johan left two days ago, the young Trusedale just sat by the window to wait for his koi to come back, so they could talk. Syrus was so deep in thought, he didn't know that Johan had walked in the room until the smaller teen turned his head to see Johan standing there. 

"Jay ...?" Syrus murmured.

Johan smiled and walked up and stood by the smaller teen. "I'm sorry for running out on you, but there's something you should know -"

"You hate me," Syrus said, still murmuring. "That's why you left in the first place."

"That's what I want to talk to you about. Jaden doesn't hate you at all, he loves you with all his heart."

Syrus raised a brow. Hearing that did ease his heart; what confused him was the way Johan was talking. "Are you okay, Jay?"

A sigh escaped from Johan's lips. "That's another thing we need to talk about." He bit his bottum lip. "I'm not Jaden, I'm a good friend of his -"

Syrus chuckled dryly. "You were always such a kidder." Syrus paused, and his expression darkened. "But if you don't like me, I would have appreciate it if you had told me earlier."

Johan looked down to see anger in Syrus' eyes. He bent down and pulled the young Trusedale close. "I know you've been through a lot with the loss of Jaden -"

More anger flashed across Syrus' eyes, as he tried to wriggle free from Johan's grasp. "Will you let go," Syrus demanded. He tried to pull away again, but he couldn't. "Please."

Johan tightened his grip and rubbed Syrus' back soothingly. By this point the smaller teen was sobbing to Johan's chest. "It's okay if you're mad at me. I'm upset too for not doing anything sooner."

They stayed in each other's arms for a moment until Syrus spoke up in a small voice. "If you're not Jay - who are you?"

Johan smiled down at the young teen. "I'm Johan, Johan Anderson."

Syrus blinked a few times. That name did sound familiar. He looked closely at Johan and realization sank in. "Why?"

Johan pulled Syrus close again, and rubbed the back of his head. "I thought that maybe we can help each other."

Syrus looked up. "Do you know where Jaden is?" he asked innocently.

"I'm not going to lie to you - but Jaden was taken by someone who liked him too."

Syrus chuckled, and amusement flashed across his eyes. "That's Jay for you. He always had that charm," young Trusedale chirped. "Did you like Jaden?"

It took a moment for Johan to answer, when he did, there was a slight smile on his face. "Yeah ... I loved him just as much as you."

Syrus looked deep into Johan's eyes and found passion. The young Trusedale looked away with guilt in his expession. "I'm sorry that I caused so much pain to everyone ..."

"You don't have to apologize. You made him happy, and that's all that mattered to me. Now get some rest," Johan laid Syrus down and pulled the covers to his neck.

Syrus watched Johan for a moment and smiled. "Will you come back tomorrow?" he finally asked.

Johan smiled and nodded his head, promising that he would come back.

To Be Continued ...


	7. Chapter 7

In Jaden's Shadow

Chapter 7

By Kellyq

Syrus grimaced when Zane walked in with a cup of water in one hand, and a phenergan pill in the other. The young Trusedale didn't mean to throw up right when Zane walked in.

"Sorry," was the only thing Syrus could say. He didn't make eye contact with Zane, as he took the cup and pill.

"You're not forcing your meds up, are you?"

Syrus cringed under his brother's gaze. "No – they just make me feel nauseated."

Zane narrowed his eyes. "Okay. But you better start eating. You don't want to be fed through a tube again, do you?"

"N-no," Syrus whimpered.

"Then I suggest you start taking care of yourself, or you'll end up where Jaden is," Zane responded harshly.

* * *

"_Then I suggest you start taking care of yourself, or you'll end up where Jaden is." _

Johan stood outside the room. He couldn't believe that Zane didn't care that his little brother was dying. Johan was snapped out of his thought when Zane stepped out, and raised a brow after looking at Johan. The younger teen looked like he had come from a fight. Johan had his right wrist bandaged up, gauze wrapped around his neck and forehead. On further inspection, Johan had one black eye, and a cut lip. They both looked at each other with enmity, before Johan walked into Syrus' room to see if he was okay.

The young Trusedale was just sitting there, looking as though he was trying not to shed a tear. Syrus also looked paler than normal.

"Syrus ...?"

The young teen flinched, and looked up to see Johan standing there. Syrus' eyes widened at the sight of his new friend. "What happened to you?"

Johan chuckled nervously, and scratched the back of his head. "I kind of had an accident on the way here." Syrus didn't look convinced. Johan sighed, and sat next to his friend. "I was trying to find out how Cobra took Jaden ..."

Syrus shivered. "Cobra ...?"

Johan nodded his head, and placed his hand on his bandaged throat. Syrus lowered his gaze. _Why are people getting hurt because of me? _he thought bitterly. "Yeah ... he cut my throat open ... beat me up, and threatened me -" Johan winced at the last part, feeling his throat becoming raw.

Syrus watched Johan for a moment, and reached out to touch the boy's arm. "You don't have to go through all this trouble just for me. I know Jay won't be coming back," Syrus paused, showing nothing but remorse in his expression. "My brother is right about one thing - I have been holding on in hope that what happened to Jaden was just some sort of sick joke, and that he would come find me so that we could go home ..."

Johan heard a gasp from their right; he turned his head to see Jaden's spirit standing there looking shocked and sad. The brown haired boy turned and ran. Johan went after Jaden, so they could talk. He finally found Jaden leaning against the wall, just two feet away from Syrus' room

"You alright, Jay?"

"_**Who put Sy here?**_" Jaden finally asked.

"Uh ... his brother ..."

Jaden's expression darkened. "_**Syrus doesn't belong in a place like this - not when he doesn't have much longer to be here ...**_"

Johan smiled sadly at Jaden. "I'll try and convince Zane to bring Sy home, but you know how he is."

Jaden smiled. **_"Thanks." _**

* * *

Syrus lay there, wondering when Johan was going to come back. It wasn't long before Syrus remembered what his brother had said. He couldn't help but smile. _I don't mind going where Jaden is ... _Syrus thought, feeling the medication working. He slowly drifted off to sleep ... 

_**"Sy," came a gentle voice, "are you awake?" **_

**_The young Trusedale slowly opened his eyes to see Jaden bending over him. The air was nice and warm, with a fragrance of flowers. _**

_**Syrus looked back at Jaden, and threw his arms around his aibou. They held each other close. "I ... I know this is a dream," Syrus sobbed out, and held onto Jaden tightly.**_

**Jaden smiled down at the smaller teen in his arms. "Does that matter?"**

**"Of course it matters! Don't you know what I've been through?" Syrus responded, slapping Jaden across the face. "A lot!" **

**Silence hung over them. Jaden didn't even respond to Syrus' violent outburst. He had known that Syrus was going to be upset by the whole thing, once he knew what happened to himself. It wasn't long before Syrus started to feel nauseated again ...**

Syrus slowly opened his eyes to see Johan rubbing his cheek. "What happened to you?"

"You stuck me in your sleep," Johan chuckled. "And let me tell ya – you can definitely pack a punch."

Syrus lowered his gaze. Johan smiled a little, and sat next to the sick teen. "Don't be sorry. You were just acting on your reflexes ..." Johan paused when Syrus nodded his head. "Oh, before I forget, I convinced Zane and Alexis to bring you home."

Syrus' mouth dropped open slightly. "H-how did you ...?"

"It wasn't easy considering Alexis thought you might be better off here so you're not overwhelmed with stuff that reminds you of Jay," Johan explained. "But I told her that you wanted to get out of here. So you'll be going home at the end of the week."

Syrus threw himself at Johan. "Thank you! there's no other place I want to be right now, and that is home."

Johan looked straight a head to see Jaden's spirit murmuring a _thank you_ in his direction. "I know, and Jaden wants you to be at home too."

To Be Continued ...


	8. Chapter 8

In Jaden's Shadow

Chapter Eight

By KellyQ

Alexis could feel the tension in the air, as she and her boyfriend set up Syrus' room. They started with dusting, straightening various things on shelves, and making the bed. Alexis watched Zane every so often, and noticed that he was fighting an inner battle. "Zane," she finally called out softly.

"I'm fine, Alexis," Zane responded, and closed his eyes. He could feel her closeness, as she stepped up from behind and wrapped her arms around him.

A tear came down Alexis' right cheek. "It's okay to cry, Zane. You've done everything you could. The only thing you can do now is tell him it's okay ..."

Zane easily pulled away from his girlfriend. "My brother doesn't know how to let go." With no other words, Zane stalked out of the room, pushing the startled Hospice nurse who was standing by the door.

_That's because you won't let him, _Alexis thought darkly. She looked up to see the nurse hovering by the door, with a sympathetic look on her face.

"Is everything alright?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah. Did Zane leave to get Syrus?"

The nurse nodded her head.

* * *

Johan walked into the hospital room to see Syrus trying to put his coat on; the only thing preventing the sleeve from being pulled up was a tear. 

"Darn coat," Syrus grumbled. He pulled out his arm and slipped it back in, making it work this time. "Okay. I'm ready!"

Johan smiled and sat next to Syrus and noticed that the younger Trusedale had a little color on his cheeks, and a little spark of life was in his eyes. "It won't be long before you're home!"

All Syrus did was nod his head, and that was when Johan noticed a worried look in Syrus' eyes. "What's wrong?"

"After I go home, and you get your paper done, I probably won't see you again," Syrus said in a resigned tone.

Johan was about to retort when Zane walked in. There was a nurse by his side, pushing a wheelchair to the bed. "Are you ready?" Johan finally asked.

Syrus only nodded his head. The nurse stepped up and helped Johan place Syrus in the wheelchair. Zane moved forward, ready to push the wheelchair to the car. Syrus had a blanket draped over his legs, and he was holding the towel he and Jaden had shared. The nurse smiled and said her good-bye to the young Trusedale, as Zane wheeled his little brother to the parking lot.

"I'll be back," was the only thing Zane said before he went to get the van.

"Johan," Syrus finally spoke up, after Zane was out of hearing range. "Do you think my aniki hates me?"

The black van pulled up just as Johan was about to say that he didn't know. "We can talk later. Now lets get you home," Johan finally answered. He lifted Syrus up, and held back his horror when he felt how thin the sick teen was. Johan could feel Syrus' ribcage through his shirt, and the young Trusedale was lighter then he should.

Zane watched for a moment before taking the wheelchair back inside the hospital.

* * *

The ride home was quite. Syrus sat comfortably on Johan's lap. He looked up and noticed that the wounds his friend had were healed. "That's good Cobra hasn't tried to hurt you anymore ..." 

"I haven't been at home since Cobra attacked me," Johan announced truthfully. "I've been staying at a friend's house."

_which was good,_ Zane thought. _It gave me time to make sure that Cobra was put in his place. _It wasn't easy, but Zane had managed to get the man put behind bars. "You might as well stay there for now ..."

Johan's eyes met the cold black gaze in the review mirror. "You don't have to worry about me. Right now we need to make sure Syrus is comfortable."

"Aniki," Syrus finally spoke up again. "Thanks for letting me come home."

Johan watched Zane closely, and for the first time, he saw the elder Trusedale had a glint of love in his eyes. Johan looked down at Syrus to notice that the smaller teen was deep in thought. "What are you thinking?"

Syrus shrugged a shoulder. "A lot of things, I guess. Like that Jaden could have had anyone he wanted, like you, for example. You're much stronger than I am and kinder too. He should've just chosen you instead of me."

Johan sighed. "I know you really loved him and that's the only thing that counts."

Syrus nodded his head and looked out the window for a moment. "Johan, how did you meet Jaden?"

The green-eyed teen smiled at Syrus. "We met at a Halloween party ..."

The young Trusedale frowned. "You mean that Halloween party that was held a while back?" Syrus' frowned deepened, trying to remember that night - then it dawned on him. "Oh yeah ... now I remember - he referred you as _Mr. Romeo_ when he got home that night."

* * *

Alexis walked up when she heard the door open. She had a small bouquet of flowers, and she had a forced smile that Johan and Zane could see. "Welcome home, Syrus," she greeted warmly. 

The younger Trusedale smiled and accepted the flowers gracefully. He looked around as he was carried to his room. Once there, Alexis opened the door, and stepped aside for Johan to enter. The familiar scent from the room overwhelmed Syrus, but he didn't care. He was home now, and that was all that mattered to him.

Johan laid Syrus gently on the bed, and pulled the covers up. The young Trusedale made himself comfy. _I'm finally home, _he thought. He looked around and noticed that Zane had followed them into his room.

"I better put the flowers in water before they die," Zane said, taking the bouquet.

"I'll come with you," Alexis volunteered.

She followed her boyfriend out just as the hospice nurse walked in. She looked at the small innocent patient. She could tell by the look in Syrus' eyes that he was going to last no more than a few hours. Shaking the remorse feeling out of her, she walked up to the smaller teen. "Hello Syrus, I'm Emi, your home nurse." With that she got Syrus set up.

Johan watched with a heavy heart. _I just hope that Syrus finds Jay. _He smiled at that thought. Johan had to admit that Jaden and Syrus had been cute together.

"I'll be right back," Emi announced. She rose to her feet with a clipboard in her arms.

* * *

"Thanks for helping me," Syrus smiled at his friend. 

Johan just watched the flicker of life fading from Syrus. The green eyed teen looked back at the door, hoping that Zane would come back. Syrus reached out and touched Johan's arm. "It's okay if Zane doesn't want to be around me right now ..." Johan looked back at Syrus. "Besides, I'd rather be with you anyways. You always reminded me of Jay ..."

It was then that there was knock at the doorjamb. Johan turned his head to see Emi walk in. "How are you settling in, Syrus?"

The young Trusedale could only nod his head, as tried to keep his vision from getting blurry. He was becoming more tired by the second, and he wanted to see his brother and Alexis before he went.

"Sorry. It took me a while before I could find a vase," came Alexis' voice. She walked in and placed the vase on the night stand.

Johan looked at the flowers and noticed that they were two different colors: red and yellow. He couldn't help but smile, but it faded when a red petal broke off and landed on the night stand, followed by a yellow one that landed on the red one.

* * *

Zane looked out the window, and sighed. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the feeling that his little brother had _just passed away. _He knew it had just happened. Zane opened his eyes and saw Johan's expression through the window. 

The younger teen had Syrus' lifeless body in his arms. Johan stood there for a moment, waiting to see if Zane would react. The older Trusedale just stood there, looking emotionless as always.

"So. You have nothing to say?" Johan finally asked. He couldn't comprehend how Zane could manage to just stand there, and not even feel anything.

"Syrus is where he belongs," Zane finally spoke up. He turned around and walked up to Johan, and looked down at Syrus' lifeless stare. He could also see that his brother had been crying. "And that is with Jaden." He reached out to close his brother's eyes. _I hope you can find peace, little brother, _Zane thought as he wiped Syrus' tears from his face.

* * *

_**Syrus slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Jaden bending over him. They both smiled at each other, and it was then they both knew that it was over. **_

**_"How are you feeling now?" Jaden asked, helping his koi into the upright position. _**

**_"I feel just fine. But what about Johan? I don't think he got around to finishing his paper." Syrus felt bad that couldn't see if his friend was going to get a good grade or not. _**

_**Jaden chuckled and kissed Syrus. "I wouldn't worry about him. He's going to be just fine." He pulled Syrus close. Thank you, Johan, Jaden thought. Thank you so much ...**_

Johan slowly opened his eyes from his sleep, and smiled. He knew that they were going to find each other. Johan cautiously got out of bed, hoping not to wake his foster brother, who was sleeping next to him. He walked to the window to look at the stars.

"Come back to bed, mate," came Jim's groggy voice. "We have a big day tomorrow."

"I know," Johan smiled. He turned and walked back, to climbed back into bed. He felt better than he had in a long time.

The End


End file.
